Solar Technology & PV R&D News

Five different types of solar cells fabricated by research teams at the Georgia Institute of Technology have arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) to be tested for their power conversion rate and ability to operate in the harsh space environment as part of the MISSE-12 mission. One type of cell, made of low-cost organic materials, has not been extensively tested in space before.

The Space Solar project will supply electricity to distant military posts, with no necessity to endanger convoys.

Smart Energy Hub system can work both as an electrolyser and as a fuel cell. In the first case, it stores energy in the form of biogas. In the second case, it converts gas into heat and electricity. The system has been developed by Sylfen and French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission.

Rice University scientists believe they've overcome a major hurdle keeping perovskite-based solar cells from achieving mainstream use.

A new type of PV plants is being developed: solar systems consisting of rows of small man-made sunflowers, which automatically turn their heads toward the sun.

University of New Mexico and Air Force Research Laboratory scientists have teamed up to prolong the life of solar modules by harnessing the Atom Ant-like strength of carbon nanotubes.

Research from Canada has revealed liquid-like lineshape dynamics in cesium-lead iodide perovskite nanocrystals. The findings could be used to produce cheaper and more efficient perovskite cells, researchers claim.

A technique based on optical imaging has been used by an international research team to illuminate strains in lead halide perovskite solar cells without harming them. The scientists claim the approach helped them discover misorientation between microscopic perovskite crystals was the main cause of the strains.

This has been a breakthrough year for non-battery storage, with key advances in pumped hydro, power-to-gas, and thermal storage technologies. Many industry players are moving beyond pilot projects to contracted projects, which could lead to increased scale and lower costs.

Many of the technologies we come across everyday seem to be either perfect or nearing perfection. However, there is always scope for improvement and this is what the Dutch startup Lightyear follows. The company manufactures a car that comes equipped with a solar panel that helps generate electricity and improve the vehicle’s range. While the solar panel itself is not a new innovation, the company has announced of notably improving the aerodynamics of its car.

Scientific instrument made at McGill reveals liquid-like properties of a solid substance.

A team of scientists led by the University of Glasgow has discovered a more efficient method of splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen using electricity which it says could almost double the amount of hydrogen produced per millivolt.

The government of the Philippines will spend $500 million on solar-powered water supply and desalination in remote areas of Mindanao, the second-largest island in the archipelago. Elsewhere, a Finnish study has suggested drought-hit Iran could benefit from renewable-powered desalination.

Where seasonal storage is paramount, hydrogen comes into play. Under-the-radar solar market Sweden has presented its hydrogen projects and technological solutions to overcome the country’s natural solar barriers.

The uptake of solar power around the world is certainly a good thing for the planet, but that doesn’t mean it is without environmental consequence either. Some solar panel components are more easily recycled than others, and scientists in Australia may have just figured out how to repurpose one of the trickiest and most valuable: the silicon that serves as its semiconductor.